17 June 2012

THE Brunei Under-14 football team have been given yet another great opportunity.

It was announced yesterday that they have confirmed their participation in the Under-14 Youth Football Festival in Osaka, Japan.

The June 17-24 event is part of the Japan-ASEAN Football Exchange Programme and is organised by the Japan Football Association to enchance the exchange of youth players and referees.

A team of 18 footballers and four officials will depart the Sultanate today.

A total of six countries hosts Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei will be competing at the newly built national training centre, J-Green Sakai.

The competition will be held in a league match system with each participating team having five matches.

The games will be contested in 25-minute halves with no extra time nor penalty shootouts.

Pg Hj Md Tajuddin Pg Osman, the head coach of the U-14 side, is thankful for this chance and felt that this is something needed for the team.

"They have gained some experience from their KK outing and they can use it at Japan," said Pg Hj Md Tajuddin during an interview with The Brunei Times yesterday after a press conference at the NFABD (National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam) House in Berakas.

"This is definitely a good start for the team which is very new and the players are still young," he said.

"I would also like to thank NFABD and also Japan for giving the players an opportunity to play there," continued the head coach.

The trip is a definite plus especially since Japan is ranked 19th in the world as of January, the highest position for an Asian nation out of 206 countries.

It is also known that a Japanese professional footballer is expected to conduct a course in the Sultanate at the end of the month.

This is the second outing for the team after they competed at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under-14 Festival of Football in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

They played a total of nine games but only managed to register one win, one draw and seven losses at the May 30-June 3 event.

15 June 2012

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (16 June 2012) – The National FA of Brunei Darussalam (NFABD) have said ‘no’ to having a team from Brunei taking part in the M-League.

The NFABD had earlier made enquiries about playing in the M-League, preferably having a direct access to the top-tier which is the Malaysian Super League. But the FA of Malaysia (FAM) stated that all new entrants have to go through the process of starting in the third-tier FAM League in 2013.

Winning promotion to the Premier League in 2014 and then on to the Super League in 2015 should they make the cut.

“We will not be joining the FAM League,” said Dato Paduka Abdul Rahman Mohiddin. “We wrote in to enquire about participating in the M-League and they gave us their terms and conditions, which need to be deliberated and further discussed by NFABD’s executive committee on the implications of those terms and conditions stipulated.”

With the latest development, Dato Paduka Abdul Rahman said that NFABD will now focus all their attention to developing their own league system with the focus to build a strong team for the AFF Suzuki Cup 2012 qualifying round this October.

“At the moment, we feel we should concentrate on our domestic leagues,” added Abdul Rahman. “We have just finished the DST League and the FA Cup has just started.

“The DST Super League and Premier League featuring the top-20 teams in the country will start before the end of the year. There will also be a Youth League (Under-16) organised.”

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (15 June 2012) – After missing out on the last edition of the AFF Suzuki Cup qualifiers, Brunei are all eager to make a return to ASEAN’s biggest football extravaganza.

Brunei will be playing in the qualifying round of the AFF Suzuki Cup in October in Yangon where they will be up against hosts Myanmar, Timor Leste, Laos and Cambodia.

Only the top two teams at the end of the qualifying round of the AFF Suzuki Cup in Yangon will make the final round of the tournament that will be hosted by Malaysia and Thailand this year.

“The Suzuki Cup is an important tournament in the AFF calendar which requires the senior national team from each participating member countries and one that we have been absent in for some time,” said Dato Paduka Abdul Rahman Mohiddin, the president of the National FA of Brunei Darussalam (NFABD).

“As part of the obligations, we will be joining the AFF Suzuki Cup qualifiers. The qualifiers will be in Myanmar (in October) and we should have already started training.”

For the record, Brunei played in the AFF Championship in 1996 and 1998 when it was known as the Tiger Cup. They gave the edition in 2000, 2002 and 2004 a miss.

The sultanate side then played in the newly-introduced qualifying round of the AFF Championship in 2007 and 2008. They failed to make the main draw on both occasions.

14 June 2012

TUNAS FC blew past a breathless Smkerz FT 9-1 in last night's Brunei FA Cup first-round tie, putting on an efficient display of attacking football capped by six goals in the last 20 minutes.

Faiz Farhan Kamat grabbed four goals for the Tutong-based side three of them in the last six minutes.

Abdul Muiz Mahmud helped himself to a hat-trick and the Hj Johor brothers Ahmad Radhey and Muhd Taqi each bagged a goal of their own at the Berakas Sports Complex.

Work commitment for Tunas' senior players meant that Md Hairolrani Abdullah had to field eight Under-23 players in his starting-11, a move which paid off handsomely as the younger players impressed with their pace, powering the team to the biggest margin of victory in this year's competition.

Despite the scoreline Tunas' coach felt the team have a lot more to offer.

"I'm not exactly satisfied ... I think we were only on 75 per cent," said Md Hairolrani.

"We only had 12 players today ... and our side was mostly made up of reserves.

"We were playing a lot of long balls and it worked because we have skilled strikers," he explained of the team's tactics.

Abdul Muiz opened the scoring in the 23rd minute after connecting on a cross from the right and made it 2-0 ten minutes later after latching onto a through ball and poking it home.

Controlling the midfield, it was inevitable that Tunas would add to their lead in the second half.

A diagonal run by Ahmad Radhey saw him scamp past Smkerz goalkeeper Noorjam Hj Abd Kahar before poking the ball into an empty net in the 66th minute, and it was 4-0 five minutes later when Faiz rifled home from a tight angle.

Muhd Taqi scored the highlight of the night, beating his defender and chipping from long-range with Noorjam rooted to the spot and looking on in disbelief.

Abdul Muiz got his hat-trick in the 81st minute after tapping in a squared-pass from Faiz, who made it 7-0 with a header in the 83rd minute and 8-0 during a one-on-one in the 86th minute.

Smkerz were being runned ragged but they managed a consolation when Abdul Wafi Abdul Wahab stole the ball off a static Tunas defence and fired home from close range.

Faiz had the last laugh though, his uncontested header making it 9-1 in the 90th minute.

Action continues tomorrow with Menglait FC taking on IKLS at the Berakas Sports Complex at 8:15pm, while Mangalela Kuala Belait face Setia Perdana at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Berakas at 4pm.

11 June 2012

MBS UNITED FC were handed a rough welcome into the world of competitive football last night when the non-league team lost 6-2 to Rimba Star FC in their Brunei FA Cup opener.

One of the 15 teams making its debut in the tournament, MBS looked second-best throughout the night hardly surprising considering they only had three practice sessions as a team.

With Rimba Star having recently qualified for the Brunei Premier League, they were always going to be favourites to progress to the next round against such a new side and one that is more known for their exploits on the futsal court than on the football field.

Though they are now out of the single knock-out format competition, MBS which stands for Mind, Body, Soul feel they have a bright future in local football.

"This team was formed recently ... Half of the players have only been playing together for one week," said team manager Ak Tuah Pg Badaruddin after the game at the Berakas Sports Complex.

The game started off brightly enough for MBS, with Md Hanis Hj Tasrip equalising a minute after Mohd Hamdi Ramlee put Rimba Star in front by connecting on a second minute corner-kick.

It was all downhill for MBS after that though, and they would fail to create any more scoring opportunities in the half.

With six Under-23 players in the starting-11, as opposed to MBS's one, Rimba Star's pace was always going to be a problem.

They were the fitter, faster and technically better side, and while they were also the more dangerous team going forward especially through right-winger Muhammad Khalil Hj Ahmad Kamil Rimba Star would only edge in front a minute before the break when Muhammad Qamarulludin Abd Rahim latched onto a long-ball and squared it to Ak Mohammad Nur Syafiq Pg Besar, who tapped home from close range.

The impressive Muhammad Khalil made it 3-1 in the 64th minute after stealing the ball in the centre of the park and running half the length of the pitch to poke it past Noor Ahmadi Mohammad Ali in goal.

It was to be the first of four Rimba Star goals in 13 minutes, effectively killing the game off.

Ak Mohammad Nur Syafiq grabbed his second two minutes later when Noor Ahmadi's goal-kick went as far as Muhammad Khalil, who turned provider this time.

Ak Muhd Nur Qhalid Pg Jamaludin's 70th minute lob over Rimba Star goalkeeper Abdul Rahim Awg Tengah made it 4-2 against the run of play but Rimba Star would restore their three-goal cushion five minutes later with a Muhd Qamarulludin strike after a through ball.

Mohd Hamdi Ramlee was the first to react to a 77th minute free-kick, making it 6-2 to Rimba Star and leaving Noor Ahmadi asking for a substitution.

The tournament resumes tomorrow with another non-league side, AKSE Bersatu, facing powerhouses Royal Brunei Armed Forces Sports Council (MS ABDB) at the Balapan Track & Field at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex in Berakas at 8:15pm.The Brunei Times

10 June 2012

DPMM FC beat Sabah 3-1 in a lacklustre friendly last night that was best described as a game of two halves.

VjeranSimunic opted to field what might be his first-11 for their next Singapore League (S-League) game against defending champions Tampines Rovers FC on Friday, and the first half ended 2-0 to the hosts at the HassanalBolkiah National Stadium in Berakas.

The game marked the first time strikers Shahrazen and Adi Said would play alongside their brother in defence, MdAmalulAriffin Shah, probably the most notable change in Simunic's starting-11 as HjMohdSubhiAbdillahHjBakir usually plays in the right-back slot which MdAmalulAriffin Shah pulled off credibly for the S-League leaders.

But second half changes saw DPMM FC lose their shape and let in a goal when Brendan GanSeng Ling netted with a 75th minute header.

AkMohdFakharraziPgHj Hassan made it 3-1 after on-trial Spanish player Diego Cervero threaded a through pass in the 84th minute, but overall, the second half belonged to Sabah.

"It was alright," said Simunic of the team's performance.

"At 2-0 up I changed some players and there was some confusion ... But I saw a lot of good things in the second half.

"Amalul is one solution for us now. He handled himself well and is like his brothers not scared of anything," added the Croatian.

Shahrazen, Ghanian striker OsmanBasiru and Croatian midfielder Ivan Jerkovic would have chances go begging before Brazilian defender Tales Ricarte dos Santos handed the hosts the lead in the 23rd minute.

Timing his run to perfection, the tall centre-back's powerful header off an AzwanSalleh corner kick was simply unstoppable.

Azwan also played provider for the second goal in the 41st minute, his delightful free-kick into the box resulted in RosdinWasli turning the ball into his own net.

Dos Santos's replacement by captain RosminHjKamis in the centre-back role saw Sabah start to assert their dominance in the second half and had chances to catch the hosts out on the counter-attack.

ShahrulrizalHjAbdRahman conceded a free-kick and Gan's header breathed some life back into DPMM FC in the 75th minute, surprising since that was what should have happened when Sabah'sMafryBalang was sent off 10 minutes earlier for a harsh foul on Basiru.

"The system we used was the same one we want to use in our next game against Young Lions XII on Saturday there is a lot to be polished," said Sabah manager Yahya Mohamed Kassim. "We had five main players out injured and we didn't have any real strikers," added Yahya, whose team are currently 10th in the Malaysian Super League.The Brunei Times

07 June 2012

DPMM FC fans are in for a treat as they will be able to see their team in action sooner than expected.

There is just over a week left before the Singapore League (S-League) resumes and Brunei's only professional football club will be put to the test in a friendly match against Malaysia Super League (MSL) outfit Sabah FA on Saturday at 8.15pm at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Berakas.

The last match for Brunei's only professional football club in the S-League was on May 10 against Balestier Khalsa where they came back from a goal down to win 3-1 at the Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore.

The match signified the midway point of the S-League season and DPMM FC sit at the top of the 13-team standings with 29 points from 12 games.

Their last competitive match was on May 17 in the Singapore Cup where they lost 1-0 to titleholders, Home United FC, at the Yishun Stadium in Singapore.

DPMM FC are set to continue their campaign in the S-League on June 15 against defending champions Tampines Rovers FC at the Clementi Stadium in Singapore.

Sabah FA, meanwhile, currently sit in 11th place in the MSL with 19 points from 17 matches. The MSL is set to resume some time next week.

Both teams will be looking to seek out their weaknesses and work on improving before their respective leagues continue.

Tickets for the friendly game are priced at $5 each and they will be available for purchase at the match venue from 9am onwards on Saturday.

Part of ticket sales will be donated to the Community Development Department's National Orphans Fund.The Brunei Times

A TOTAL of 44 teams will be vying for a top honours in the first Brunei FA Cup this year.

Newcomers MBS United will go up against Rimba Star FC in the opening match of the Brunei FA Cup at Berakas Sports Complex on June 10.

Last year's DST Group League Cup finalist MS ABDB will step into uncharted territory as they prepare to take on AKSE Bersatu on June 13 at the Balapan Track and Field in Berakas.

"We never heard of AKSE Bersatu before. It is going to be interesting. We will take every team seriously and this team will be no exception. We will play our own usual game," said MS ABDB assistant manager Khalid Hj Bujang.

"We have been preparing for this tournament and we are continuing our training as usual even after our last DST National Football League match last week. We will have a friendly game against the national team that will be competing for Malaysia Games (Sukma) this Friday," he said.

DST National Football League group D winner Majra Utd are also expected to have an easier time, drawn against new team Seri Wira Fc on June 19 at the Berakas Sports Complex.

Newcomers Brunei Darussalam Sports School will have their hands full as they prepare to play against the national league giant QAF FC.

The date of said match will be confirmed at a later date.

"This will be the first time Sports School is competing in a competition of this level. This is a new challenge for us... we have done a lot of preparations for this tournament," said Brunei Darussalam Sports School's manager Pg Serfuddin Pg Hj Md Salleh.

"QAF FC is a good team but we have a very young squad and one player from the Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy squad Syafiee Affendy will be playing for us in this tournament," he said.

Present at the Brunei FA Cup draw were the chairman of the tournament Hj Mohd Taha Hj Mohd Tahir, committee members of the National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam (NFABD) and the managers of the participating football clubs.

The draw was held yesterday at the main office of the NFABD, located at the NFABD House along Jalan Pusat Persidangan, opposite the International Convention Centre in Berakas.

Champions of the DST Brunei FA Cup 2012 will receive a challenge trophy, gold medals and a cash prize of $4,000.

The runners-up will receive a trophy and medals, along with a prize money of $3,000.

Organised by the NFABD, the DST National Football League's winners and runners up of each group will gain automatic qualification to compete in the elite NFABD Super League, with the two best third-placed teams also gaining entry into the exclusive competition.

"The two best teams from each four groups are LLRC FT, Najip FC, QAF FC, Jerudong FC, Indera FC, MS ABDB, Majra United and Kilanas FC, while MS PDB and Wijaya FC are the two best third-placed teams that completed the 10 teams slot for the Super League," said chairman of the tournament Hj Mohd Taha Hj Mohd Tahir.

"The Super League hopefully will start in December, and we are still working on the preparation for the tournament including rules, guidelines and the availability of the venues."

According to Hj Taha, the rest of the current registered teams will be competing in the NFABD Premier League 2012/2013 and District League.

"Teams who sit third, fourth and fifth in the standings will be in the Premier League, meanwhile the rest will be joining the District League, and Setia Perdana FC, BSRC FC, Perkasa, Tunas FC, Rimba Star FC, Muara Vella FC, BIBD FC, Kota Ranger FC, IKLS and Lun Bawang are the teams that made it to the Premier League," he said.

"I would like to say thanks to everyone who supported us throughout the campaign, Department of Youth and Sports, the media and the NFABD staffs and committee in the tournament," he added.

Meanwhile, LLRC FT ended their DST National Football League campaign on a high note defeating BIBD FC 3-2 at the Berakas Sports Complex last night.

Two own goals by BIBD FC's Md Shahrullazzi Hj Awg Lamat and Mohd Shukor Abd, and a goal by Safuan Juhar helped LLRC FT to maintain their 100 per cent record in the tournament.

"I am very satisfied with the performances of my teams throughout the season, although there are still some areas we need to improve on, and we know that Super League is going to be tough, this is the starting point for us and we will see how it goes, and we will try our best," said LLRC FT head coach, Hj Affandi Hj Julaihi.

"Next, we will be competing in the Brunei FA Cup, It is a knock-out competition, and we hope to play against good teams, MS ABDB, MS PDB or Indera FC maybe," he added.The Brunei Times

03 June 2012

BRAZILIAN striker Adailton Pereira Coelho looks set to be the highest profile footballer to head to DPMM FC for trials.

The Singapore League (S-League) leaders' website yesterday stated that the former Corinthians and VfL Wolfsburg player will be coming to the Sultanate for trials, the latest in a string of footballers to try their luck at filling the club's fourth and last import slot.

The 26-year-old Adailton, better known as Abuda, moved from Brazilian giants Corinthians to Germany's Wolfsburg in 2005, but returned to Brazil to play for Vasco da Gama two years later.

He currently plies his trade at Oeste, a club that competes in the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie C the third division of Brazilian football.

DPMM FC have been searching for an import ever since they released injured Brazilian striker Rodrigo Gral on May 22, and if Abuda signs for the Brunei side, fellow countryman Tales Ricarte dos Santos is sure to help him settle in.

01 June 2012

THE first DST Brunei FA Cup tournament scheduled to kick off on June 6 has been postponed to June 10.

The new development was followed by an announcement by the National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam (NFABD) that it will be extending the submission date for the DST Brunei FA Cup registration, according to a Press statement issued by the NFABD yesterday.

Initially, all registration forms must be submitted by May 30 (last Wednesday), but the date has now been extended to June 5 before 4pm.

Meanwhile, the managers briefing and the draw will be held on June 6 at 2.30pm at the NFABD House in Berakas.

"There have been requests presented to us (NFABD) by managers of football clubs in the country to postpone the final date of registration, to allow and encourage more teams to register for this prestigious tournament," said chairman of the tournament Hj Mohd Taha Hj Mohd Tahir (pic).

"So far 45 teams have confirmed their participation in the tournament and there will be more coming. We hope that with the extension of the final date of registration more teams will join the tournament," he added.

The entry fee is set at $150 per team.

Champions of the DST Brunei FA Cup 2012 will receive a challenge trophy, gold medals and a cash prize of $4,000. The runners-up, meanwhile, will receive a trophy and medals, along with a prize money of $3,000.

Each team can register no more than 25 players. Only players who are citizens or permanent residents of Brunei Darussalam are eligible to register for the competition.

Entry form can be obtained from the main office of the NFABD, located at the NFABD House along Jalan Pusat Persidangan, opposite the International Convention Centre in Berakas.

Interested parties can contact Hj Mohd Taha at 8747400 or the secretariat of the tournament at 2380047.The Brunei Times

FOOTBALL AFC UNDER-14 FESTIVAL OF FOOTBALL National U-14 team beat Laos for 1st victory at AFC festival

BRUNEI finally won their first game of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under-14 Festival of Football after beating Laos 1-0 yesterday.

The Sultanate had a slow start to the tournament in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, after losing all three of their games in Wednesday's opening day.

But picking up the pace yesterday, the team played out to a 0-0 draw against Myanmar before getting on the scoresheet for the first time in the 2-1 loss to Vietnam saving the best for the last when Mohd Syami Rashid netted the only goal against Laos.

The team opened their campaign with a

2-0 loss to Malaysia on Wednesday and were handed a 5-0 defeat by Laos in their second game. Their third match was a 2-0 loss to Indonesia.

The games were all played in 30 minutes with no half-time breaks. With 22 players representing the country, 11-member teams alternately played in each match, with substitutes only allowed in case of injury.

Despite the results the team's manager Pg Hj Zulkarnain Pg Hj Md Noor was upbeat when asked to comment on the country's performance.

"The players' confidence has developed over the games and their communication has also improved," he told The Brunei Times yesterday.

"They have taken on more responsibility ... and they have been able to keep the ball better.

"Our losses have been because the other teams were more prepared ... We have not sent a team to compete at an international age-group competition like this for three years.

"Most of the goals came from our mistakes ... (During) times when we lost focus inside the box. But credit to the boys, they have always had a strong fighting spirit," he added.

The competition takes a break today and the festival's focus shifts to skills assessment tests for all teams and players.

Brunei play two games tomorrow, the first against Timor Leste and the second against Singapore, before closing out their campaign against Australia on Sunday.

The format of play will change to two 30-minute halves, with the teams allowed to field different 11-member sides in each half if they so wish.

Pg Hj Zulkarnain explained that no finals will be contested in line with AFC's non-competitive spirit of the festival.

"These are all young players so AFC wants them to enjoy (the festival)," he said.

"All teams will get medals and certificates after the tournament.

"The focus here is on getting the players to enjoy themselves playing against other countries and our players have certainly done that."The Brunei Times